Fort Duchère
Fort Duchère, also called Fort Balmont, is in Lyon’s 9th arrondissement. It has five bastions built between 1844 and 1851 and was part of Lyon’s first ring of defenses. The fort’s star shape resembles Vauban’s fortifications. It was demolished in 1960 to make way for a sports complex.
The fort was built to defend Lyon if enemies reached Limonest by the road from Paris, especially along the royal roads of Burgundy and Bourbonnais. In 1944, 39 French Resistance fighters were shot there by Vichy forces after a court-martial.
The fort was decommissioned in 1957. In the 1960s it served as an army recruitment center and later welcomed returning soldiers from the Algerian War.
When the Duchère neighborhood was built, Fort Balmont became a sports complex that included Duchère Stadium and the Stéphane-Diagana Athletic Hall. Today nothing remains of the fort itself.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:56 (CET).